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EQ2: The Seafury Buckaroo and Tunarian Treehugger RMT Armors

There is no point in having RMT appearance armor if nobody knows you’re wearing it. The entire purpose is to be seen, right? It’s a fashion statement. So let’s look at these armors from a fashion perspective.

There are two sets. The Seafury Buccaneer set is a heavy chain armor with steel plates and a metal shoulderguard on the right shoulder. The Tunarian Alliance armor set is a reinforced studded leather with a boiled leather shoulderguard over the left shoulder.

Aside from the asymmetrical shoulder guards, the armors don’t look too different from what you might see on other armors — both sets have certain elements that you might find on the Far Seas crafting reward appearance armors, for instance. Today’s worn armors in EQ2 are actually far more intricately designed than either of these.

Neither of these sets provide much in the way of hats — the chain one has the standard skull cap model, the leather one is a little larger, but neither are any that you would care to wear. So we’ll skip the hats.

Brightknife, level 24 Arasai assassin, normally wears the Shadowed armor from the Void Invasion quests. She wears the no-appearance Imperceptible armor on her shoulders to make her forearm armor stand out.

The Seafury armor immediately draws the eye to her long legs. The reflective metal points out small imperfections in the armor’s finish — a very nice touch. This is a striking and elegant armor for any Arasai or Fae. Unfortunately, the small size of the Fairy races means this armor could go unappreciated by most people.

The Tunarian armor just screams “DRUID”. Only the waist decoration and the overlarge shoulder guard distinguish this from other, similar armors.

Nashuya normally wears a combination of level 20 quest armor, ebony plate, and blackened iron armor. It’s a very appropriate look for a shadow knight — it is instantly obvious to anyone meeting her what her class is, and yet it’s a very stylish ensemble. Though it’s not apparent when you look at a Dark Elf alone, compared to the Fairy races, the Tier’Dal are hulking and musclebound. This has a welcome effect with these armors.

On Nashuya, the heavy armor on her lower body completely overpowers the relatively un-armored upper body, making her appear unbalanced. Her thicker legs mask the sleek lines of the shin protectors. Taken as a whole, the armor seems incomplete. In my opinion, the upper arm could use some armor, perhaps a short armored sleeve.

The Tunarian armor, on the other hand, looks like it was made specifically for an elf. I’m showing it here from the back. The studs make her back look broader, and what looked like a forgettable druid outfit on a Fae takes on a more menacing tone here. This is the sort of armor you might wear when you weren’t expecting war, but perhaps a really good bar fight might break out. You’d be ready.

Tsuki, a gnome wizard, normally dresses in the newbie robe originally given to all new casters upon being brought to the Isle of Refuge. She wears it fondly, as this robe has not been given in game since the classes were revamped several years ago.

Gnomes share with halflings and dwarfs an alarming lack of leg. See how the elegant Seafury leg armor that looked so wonderful on the Fae is shrunk and nearly disappeared entirely on the gnome. Gnomish arms look thin and bony without any armor protecting them, and the whole thing just looks like something Brunhilde would wear in a fourth grade production of the Ride of the Valkyries. Which would rock, by the way.

The Tunarian armor clearly shows how oddly formed gnomes are. The heroin-chic gnome physique marks a gnome druid who has really stopped caring about saving forests or protecting wildlife, and is now just looking for her next fix.

On the balance, I like the new armors, but it’s clear a “one size fits all” approach will not do. These armors look utterly terrible on the smaller races. I am particularly disappointed with the hats. For $10, I’d expect hats I wouldn’t be embarrassed to show. Sadly, neither of the hats with these armors are anything you couldn’t find on dozens of other armor sets.

I’d like to see more custom armors by race and gender, and some sets that are truly new, like a set of samurai armor, or caveman skins, or armor that looks like oldschool (pre-Luclin) EverQuest armors. Especially those cool Velious patterns. How about some real skirts for women? Really elaborate and unique hats? Some really steampunk looking stuff?

It will be fun to see what they come up with — but I’m hoping they find a way to make some armors a bit more memorable than the ones they offer today.

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